


Enemies and Allies

by whizzle



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Era, Canon Universe, Dark, Founding of Konoha, Gen, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, M/M, Mystery, Origin Story, Plot, Plot-Driven, Political Alliances, Politics, Pre-Konoha Village, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25798000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whizzle/pseuds/whizzle
Summary: The fighting had ended and the alliance between two of the most powerful clans and their allies was formed. Making their peace, the Senju and Uchiha clans have settled in a hidden village in the Land of Fire. Mito Uzumaki is sent to this village by her elders to represent the Uzumaki clan in the alliance, among other duties she must fulfill. Alone in her role and faced with hostility, she finds darker workings at play beneath the guise of peace.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama & Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	Enemies and Allies

**Author's Note:**

> This is a (my opinion) darker interpretation of the canon era between the warring states and the first ninja war, written from Mito Uzumaki's POV. This will be a multi-chapter series. My intention is that it will be about the founding of Konoha, but stay tuned to see where it leads!

Storm clouds. Rain falling. Mito arrived alone in the darkness, exhausted from her journey. This area of the Land of Fire was surrounded by tall trees and ample forest. In the moonlight, she could vaguely discern the shapes of the buildings around her – the leaves hid the rest. A Senju was waiting for her in the shadows. He wordlessly escorted her to a tent made of wood and left abruptly. She stepped inside hesitantly. 

A candle stood on a small table in the middle of the room, but it did little to help the chill of the night. A bed piece was laid out for her, made of the same material as the rest. This was no ordinary wood, she could sense, with a vague suspicion of who its chakra belonged to. 

While the candle aided her vision, Mito felt blind as if she had stepped into a dark lake alone, with only her own power to aid her. Did the clan elders plan this too? 

_For peace_. That is what they had told her. For the clan, is what she told herself. Too much bloodshed had happened in a lifetime already. Too many generations of family and kin slaughtered. Peace was a fleeting dream - a folly to hope for, but her clan was real and it was in her clan’s future she trusted. 

A strong chakra appeared before her. She could sense the man before he knocked. “You may enter,” she said before he could make his presence known. The door creaked open and a silver haired man with sharp eyes walked in silently. He took a few quick glances at the modest room and frowned. Mito suppressed her nerves. The man intimidated her. She could tell that he tried to hide his strength, and likely an average shinobi could be fooled by this. She was not an average shinobi, especially not in chakra mastery. 

“You must be Mito Uzumaki,” he began, “am I to understand that with your arrival, the Uzumaki have accepted our terms?”. The second statement took Mito by surprise – the elders did not mention terms. 

“That depends on your terms. I was told of an alliance. And continued protection by the Senju.” Mito silently hoped the Senju would honor the historical blood ties. If not... 

“Protection certainly, like our ancestors before us. We are united by blood after all. Such ties grow ever important especially now,” the man continued, “an alliance is in the works, although not one you may expect. Unfortunately, my brother has decided to make peace with certain... _unsavory_ clans.” The man seemed deeply troubled by this in particular, so much that his chakra shook slightly. He was not aware that Mito could sense this. 

“You are Tobirama Senju,” Mito realized immediately. That would certainly explain the menacing chakra. Why would the right hand of the Senju clan visit her in the middle of the night? She could guess. “I suppose your terms will include the use of my power and those of my clansmen to aid the alliance?” Even as she said it, Mito suspected there was more to it. 

“To aid the _Senju_ ,” Tobirama corrected abruptly. There was a pause. This alliance may have been weaker than Mito originally suspected then. It did not explain why the elders had sent her specifically as an envoy. Regardless, it seemed there was already agreed upon contract, decided without her knowledge. 

“What of my role in this agreement?” Mito asked formally, “apart from my chakra, that is.” Her clan was renowned in the art of sealing, but the sensing ability was her own. 

Tobirama gave her a strange look. An air of surprise, Mito sensed. Was there something he expected her to know? A clap of thunder broke the silence, followed by the clatter of heavy rain. 

“Marriage, to my brother.” Tobirama said tonelessly. 

Which brother? Mito wanted to ask, but she already knew the answer. 

* * *

Morning came quickly before Mito could rest well. Her stomach was a pit of dread as she spent the night thinking over her meeting with Tobirama. Everything seemed to fall into place now. Why her clan had sent her alone. Why they intended her to stay here permanently. An arranged marriage was not a new concept between their clans. Why then, was it Tobirama who greeted her and not her own betrothed?

A strange aura in the air gave her pause, as if someone had been in her room during the night after Tobirama’s visit. In her weariness she concluded it was impossible, for she would have sensed them. Head heavy, she walked out of her tent only to be greeted by a messenger informing her that her presence was requested at the council. 

The ambience of daylight allowed her a better look at her surroundings, and the sight took her by wonder. More tents than she could count scattered across a field intertwined with large trees. Various buildings all made of wood stood amongst the tents – a restaurant here, a gathering there. More surprising were the people – all shinobi but wearing the attire of different clans – not fighting but interacting with respect. Medical ninjas from different clans walked around providing help to everyone in need. Community was the word that came to mind. Something truly miraculous. Mito would not have believed it if it were not in front of her eyes. 

The messenger lead her to a grand looking establishment near the face of a cliff. Here she entered to a gathering of multiple shinobi, most donning different emblems on their shirts. Some emblems she recognized on the battlefield as Senju allies, others she was equally familiar with as enemies. Sarutobi. Shimura. Hyuga. A couple more she did not recognize. She spotted Tobirama amongst the group. 

Mito felt an air of hostility amongst the individuals – a mild tension. She approached the clan representatives, all of them standing around a gigantic stone table. At the head of the table next to Tobirama stood a tall man with long straight hair who was no doubt his brother – Hashirama. Mito had heard tales of his prowess but had never met him in person. She saw a good natured and battle-worn face but his expression and body language gave nothing else away. On his other side stood another man. 

Upon recognizing this man, Mito felt her blood boil. Fear, revulsion, hatred – a few mixed emotions came to surface at the boil. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Madara Uchiha. The red-white fan on his coat, the chakra full of darkness, hands stained with Uzumaki blood a plenty. _‘Unsavory clans’_ Tobirama had said. Unsavory indeed. To be in this proximity to such a man was a test of her mental strength. Mito clenched her fists and walked silently forward to her place on the table. 

No greeting or acknowledgement was made on her arrival. Hashirama gave her a curious glance before starting. 

As soon as he spoke, Mito felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off of her shoulders. He spoke of peace and friendship, of forgiveness and unity, of building a home where shinobi of all clans could live in harmony. He spoke with such passion and charisma that the tension within the room was dissolved almost immediately. All the shinobi gave him their full attention...all but Madara. As Hashirama spoke, peace no longer felt like a dream but a distinct possibility. Mito thought of the comradery amongst the common shinobi she saw outside. 

A commotion outside interrupted the council, causing the meeting to halt. Concerned, Mito followed the others out to witness what was happening. Angry voices. Shouts. A man wearing the Shimura emblem had his weapon drawn and was approaching the council building. In his hands clenched a red patterned sash, tied around his waist. Behind him stood a few other people from different clans. A crowd was forming around them, some were telling the man to back down. 

“Hashirama Senju, you will answer for the death of my wife!” The man exclaimed, voice breaking, “You may have forgotten the blood you took, but we will _not_.” This drew a wave of muttering from the crowd. The shinobi standing behind him yelled in agreement. Mito felt sorrow for him. Hashirama however, stepped forward wordlessly. Without hesitating, he kneeled in front of the man. 

“I will not ask for your forgiveness, for I do not deserve it,” Hashirama said calmly with a hint of sorrow. 

The Shimura man paused, expression relaxing as if he were at a loss of what to say. The grip on his weapon loosened. Mito sensed his anger deflate. 

All of a sudden as if overcome by an external force, his eyes widened and his movements became erratic. He took a lunge with surprising speed at Hashirama who was still kneeling. Without thinking, Mito readied a seal to subdue the man and noticed the clan leaders around her do the same. 

What happened next was too fast for Mito’s eyes, but she could guess with her sensing. It was Madara who moved before any of them with inhuman speed. He stood between Hashirama and the aggressor, stopping the weapon with his bare hand. With his other he formed seals too fast to catch. Mito could only sense his killing intent and a large chakra gathering in his chest. Then to her surprise, Hashirama stood up and put his hand on Madara’s shoulder. 

“Stand down Madara,” Hashirama said, gently almost. Silence. Mito held her breath. Her eyes did not leave the expression on Madara’s face as he confronted the Shimura man, who still looked as if in a trance. She did not believe he was capable of moving away at that moment...but he did. The killing aura was still thick in the air; Mito wondered if she was the only one who felt it. Was she also the only one who found it strange that Madara would murder so decisively to save his, until recently, mortal enemy? 

The Shimura man dropped his weapon and collapsed to the ground, still looking dazed. Hashirama moved forward to help him and addressed his group. To the council he said “we will reconvene another time” and left with the group to seek a medic tent. 

Mito did not pay much attention to this for she was distracted by Madara, who emanated calm fury. As he left, he looked at her for a brief moment as if he only just noticed her existence. It was a look of disregard he could have given to a piece of dirt on the ground. Do I look familiar to you? Do you remember my clansmen you killed? Mito did not look away even when he turned his back on her, and she felt her anger rising once more. 

* * *

Tales of the Shimura man’s clash with had Hashirama and the latter’s response to it spread around the camp. Amongst all clans, even some in the Uchiha, Mito concluded the response was favorable to Hashirama. 

Days after the incident, Mito had still not chanced an introduction with Hashirama, let alone converse with him alone. In the rare occasion that she spotted him, he would be accompanied by Madara – the two in deep conversation. She remembered the look Madara had given her and stayed away. 

A messenger tent had been set up so she sent a hawk home in code, revealing nothing of the settlement's location but inquiring in more detail about what was expected of her in the alliance and eventual marriage to Hashirama. She kept her negative feelings about the situation out of the letter. 

In her spare time, she took her liberty around the encampment, speaking to the shinobi who piqued her interest. To her disappointment, she could not find the Shimura man ever since the incident despite wanting to speak with him. 

She spent considerable time at the zone where the Uchiha had settled. Here the remnants of hostility from the warring states had not faded as quickly. Some Uchiha were happy to speak to her. Others kept their distance and ignored her. What she heard about Madara Uchiha troubled her slightly. 

Even amongst his own clan, some felt that he was too close to Hashirama. Some felt that his leadership had taken the Uchiha on too dark a path, ever since his brother died. Some even preferred Hashirama’s leadership. Some though few, to Mito’s unease, implied they did not want an alliance at all. 

The topic of who would lead the new alliance was always a buzz in the air. From what Mito witnessed, there was no doubt that the person would be Hashirama. With what little she knew of him, she could tell that he was well received since the founding of the alliance. His abundant charisma found new allies and believers in every corner. His unique ability allowed him to construct entire structures from nothing but chakra, for which many shelter-less clans were grateful. Those who had not met him were quickly converted through word of mouth. Whatever opposition he faced, if any, did not surface in the public view. 

What it meant for her to be eventually be married to such a man...Mito did not like to think about at all. Would it then become her responsibility too to ensure the future of this alliance, whatever it will become? Would it be best her clan left their country to migrate here in this new establishment? Should the alliance fall, would her clan fall with it? It was too much to think about. 

* * *

Thunderstorms graced the sky this particular night. Mito could hear the sky shake from her tent, feel the rumbling over the droning shower of rain. Voices at first quiet, then growing louder came near. “Fire!” She heard people yelling. 

Quickly, she left her tent to see. Fire? In the middle of a downpour? Sure enough, she saw a trail of smoke leading to a considerable blaze, far from her residence but close enough that others in her area were coming out to look. 

“Water release! We need water release users!” Yelled someone, running down the crowded street. Mito approached a crowd hovering around the large fire that was burning multiple houses. She saw multiple shinobi step forward and use water style in attempt to put out the flame, which was putting up a fight against multiple chakra users. On closer look, she was surprised to sense a faint chakra imbued in the flame. Before she could ponder this, Tobirama arrived and with one swoop, summoned forth a gigantic wave that smothered all trace of the flame. Hashirama followed soon after, preparing to restore the structures with his wood release. 

Chakra. Mito sensed chakra. She ignored the commotion around her at the flame being put out and walked to the street where the flames were burning moments ago. She focused her hardest but could not sense any living presence around her. 

“A body!” Someone yelled behind her. Mito turned as a small crowd entered the ashen street. She saw someone run inside what used to be a tent, now a charred frame. She saw a body lying there on its back, skin blackened by the fire. 

Medic ninjas carried the body out carefully and laid it down where Mito could see. She recognized the face immediately, with a dread forming in her chest. 

It was the Shimura man. The one who caused the commotion at the council meeting a few days ago. The one Mito had tried to find afterward but could not. In all likelihood this was the place he lived. The sash on his waist was soot black and irrecoverable. The burns on his skin hid his identity well, but Mito remembered. 

“A terrible accident...” one of the medics commented, shaking her head sadly. “A tragedy,” another responded. 

A tragedy, thought Mito. That was a simple explanation. For some reason the growing unease inside her felt that there was more, but she couldn’t tell what. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated.


End file.
